Top Tips for Visiting Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights

It’s no doubt that this year’s Halloween Horror Nights is going to be a popular one, along with the additional celebrations of the event being in their 30th year!

There’s lots to look forward to with a variety of terrifying themes, bringing guests all-new scares and reimagined haunts inspired by the past to commemorate this evil event's 30th anniversary. Be prepared to experience your favourite TV shows and movies in real life, along with characters from your worst nightmares, as well as the return of Jack the Clown! There will be haunted houses, scare zones, outrageous shows and some of the rides will be open into the night too.

The year’s Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando will begin on 3rd September, running until 31st October. We’re still staying hopeful that our UK customers will be able to experience the scares this year!!

In this blog we’ve put together our top tips for preparing for the horrors that await at Universal Studios over the Halloween season. They will come in handy for this year, as well as future Halloween Horror Nights events.

Best Times to Visit

Being the World’s Premier Halloween event there’s always going to be a lot of people visiting during these Halloween nights. The crowds generally increase as it gets closer to Halloween and the busiest nights are usually Saturdays, with Friday nights not too far behind. The quietest night to visit tends to be Wednesdays.

If you’re looking more at cost, weekday and Sunday nights are the cheapest day to visit, with Fridays and Saturdays costing more. Prices also go up nearer to Halloween.

Another thing to note is that Halloween Horror Nights tends to stay open later in October, with the park being open another hour, which means more time to experience the scares.

Buy your Tickets in Advance

As this is a very popular event, with tourists as well as locals who love to celebrate Halloween, it’s best to secure a date by booking your tickets in advance. You are likely to save money by booking in advance as well and you won’t want to have to wait in any more lines than you have to.

Bring a Scare Buddy

There’s one important thing to remember when visiting Halloween Horror Nights, is never go alone! Be sure to have someone you can cling to or hide behind, as screams are better shared anyway. And if they’re more scared than you are, you’ll have someone to laugh at.

It’s best to not bring a scare buddy under the age of 13 though. This event may be too intense for young children and is not recommended for children under the age of 13.

Plan Your Evening at Halloween Horror Nights

Make the most of your evening by doing some prior research, getting an idea of what you’d like to experience and creating a bit of plan. With 10 haunted houses at this year’s Horror Nights, it’s unlikely you will be able to visit all of them in one night, especially on the busier days. We recommend choosing four or five houses you would really like to see and going to those first, then if you have time left you’ll be able to visit some of the others as well. We've listed this year's haunted houses below.

There are also a couple of shows to watch, so if you’re interested in those, be sure to check out the show times as soon as you arrive, which will help planning these into your evening as well.

Once you have an idea of your priorities, it’ll be easier to map out your evening and really make the most of your time at Universal Studios.

Leave Your Costumes and Masks at Home

Universal does not allow guests to wear costumes or masks. There are enough costumed creatures inside the park, so they certainly don’t need more.

Arrive to Universal Studios Early

It’s good to arrive at least 45 minutes prior to the opening time of the event, which is usually 6:30pm, as you will be able to make the most of your time. Universal tends to open the gates a bit earlier than the official starting time as well, which is always a bonus.

Start Your Evening at The Back of The Park

Head to the haunted houses at the back of the park first as the queues will be shorter earlier in the evening, and then work towards the haunted houses at the front of the park.

Don’t Miss Your Favourite Rides at Night

Some of the rides at Universal Studios stay open during the event, so you can experience these thrilling attractions into the night. The queues for these rides tend to be fairly low during Halloween Horror Nights, as the main priority for people is to visit the haunted houses, so it’s a great time to go on them in between scare zones and haunted houses.

Take note that some rides close a couple of hours before park closure, so be sure to check the event map upon arrival if you would like to plan a couple of your favourite rides into your evening as well.

Pack Light, Dress Light and Stay hydrated

You will likely not want to carry too much around with you when walking through crowded haunted houses and being spooked by scare actors. If you do need to bring anything, use a small bag that closes securely; you don’t want anything important falling out when you jump in fright!

Evenings in September and October usually stay quite warm, with temperatures averaging around 18 - 22ºC, so you should be fine in shorts and a t-shirt.

As it is warm, with humidity still in the air, be sure to bring a bottle of water, which can also be topped up around the park when you run out. Just ask at any food establishment. Staying hydrated is very important during your night of frights.

Eat Early

Enjoy a late lunch/early dinner so you’re fuelled up for an evening of scares. There will be snack stations throughout the park, but you’re unlikely to want to stop too long for food, when there’s so much to experience in one evening!

Watch Out For The Street Creatures

The scare zone street creatures largely stick to the streets and leave guests on the pavement alone - something to remember if you do want to avoid some of the scares.

Make The Most of The Last Hour

During the last hour of the event, the queues for the haunted houses would have died down significantly, so it’s a great time to visit any you haven’t seen yet.

Halloween Horror Nights is usually open to around 1am - 2am, so if you don’t mind late nights, be sure to stick around to catch all of the frights.

Here’s a list of this year’s Haunted Houses:

• Beetlejuice - Beetlejuice will haunt, taunt and send you screaming out of the haunted house.
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - You’ve seen the 1974 horror classic. Now It’s your turn to experience it for yourself.
• Netflix’s The Haunting of the Hill - The ideal house for those obsessed with paranormal activity.
• Revenge of the Tooth Fairy - You’re about to discover the sinister reality behind the seemingly innocent childhood tradition.
• Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives - For the first time ever, 30 years of characters from your worst nightmares come together to decide who’s the most evil of them all.
• Halloween Horror Nights Icons: Captured - Over the last 30 years Halloween Horror Nights has introduced a murderer’s row of original characters. Now they’ve joined forces – some newly risen to true Icon status – to form a monstrous Hell of Fame, taunting and terrifying you at every turn.
• Welcome to Scarey: Horror in the Heartland - Experience an endless parade of unimaginable terrors, from horrifying creatures to bloodthirsty maniacs. You can scream all you want in Carey. But everybody’s too busy doing their own screaming to pay much notice.
• Case Files Unearthed - Follow the trail of a private eye as an investigation into the supernatural leads you into a dark world of ghouls and terrifying creatures.
• Puppet Theatre: Captive Audience - A puppeteer and a ballet troupe trapped in a deserted theatre for years are about to turn you into a human puppet.
• The Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin - There’s no breaking free from the vines of the Pumpkin Lord, here to entrap you in his ever-growing evil.

Halloween Horror Nights is a separately ticketed event, so is an additional cost to your regular Universal admission ticket. These are available to book through the Universal HHN website. If you would like to visit the Universal theme parks in the day as well, we do offer Universal Orlando Ticket Packages, which include 14 days unlimited access to Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and Volcano Bay.

Many of our villas in Orlando are located around 25 - 30 minutes drive away from the Universal Orlando parks, so offer a great base for your holiday in Florida. Get in contact with our team if you’re interested in booking a package holiday in Orlando.

Image credits: Universal Orlando Resort